Twists and Turns
by cuz-CM's-awesome
Summary: S03E09 Penelope. After Garcia gets shot she is mad at Morgan for being right and at herself for not listening to him. Will they be able to mend their friendship...and possibly begin a new relationship after they catch the man that shot her?
1. Bang

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds in any way and I'm not making any profit from this story. **

**After Garcia gets shot she is mad at Morgan for being right and at herself for not listening to him. Will they be able to mend their friendship...and possibly begin a new relationship after they catch the man that shot her? **

**Will eventually be Morgan/Garcia **

**Please R&R **

**Enjoy **

Hotch groaned he could hear an annoying beeping sound but he couldn't figure out where it was coming from. It seemed like he had just lain down to get some sleep since he and the BAU team hadn't gotten back from their case until nine pm. Hotch stretched out his hand and groped for his cell phone that was on the night stand beside his bed. He could feel his wife, Haley, starting to wake up beside him.

As Hotch finally found his phone he got a glance at the alarm clock beside his bed, it was three am. He rubbed his eyes as he pressed talk on the phone. It couldn't possibly be J.J. with another case for them; she would be at her own home right now, no doubt sleeping.

"Hello" he said into the phone, trying to erase the sleep from his voice as he sat up in bed.

"SSA Aaron Hotchner?" the voice on the other end asked.

"Yes" Hotch said "Who is this?"

"Sergeant Baker, first responder to a shooting at 5th and Vermont Street" the voice said.

Hotch raked his brain, he knew that intersection for some reason but he couldn't remember how. "The BAU doesn't deal with local shootings" he said into the phone annoyed that someone would wake him up for this.

"I know" Sergeant Baker responded "that's not why I'm calling."

Hotch almost groaned out loud, it was three am, couldn't whatever this was for wait?

"The victim of the shooting has been rushed to hospital but before they took her I got a look at her credentials. It says she is an employee of the BAU, Penelope Garcia, and I thought I should call you because if it was one of my men I would want to know" the Sergeant continued.

Hotch was on his feet in seconds "You're right I would want to know. Thank you for calling. Do you know what hospital they took her too?" Hotch asked.

The Sergeant gave him the address to the hospital and Hotch thanked him for calling.

"Who was that honey?" Haley asked from the bed.

"Garcia, are Tech Analyst, was shot. They are rushing her to hospital right now. I have to inform the team." Hotch said bending down and giving her a kiss.

"Go" she said in understanding.

"Thanks" he said "I'll call you if anything happens."

**...**

Hotch stood pacing in the waiting area of the hospital. He had called everyone on the BAU team and they were on their way to the hospital now.

Rossi was the first one to get there. "Hey" he said coming to stand beside Hotch "Have they said anything?"

"No" Hotch replied, he had tried to talk to one of the nurses but she had just brushed past him. She had looked worried and so he was feeling worried.

"Relax" Rossi said "Stressing about it isn't going to change anything."

"I know" Hotch said with a sigh "I just can't help wondering why she was targeted. The officer that was filling out paperwork when I got here said it looked like a mugging but something about that just isn't sitting right."

"We'll be able to find out more once Garcia is out of surgery" Rossi said.

Hotch furrowed his brow "I spoke to one of the paramedics that brought her in, it doesn't look good."

"She'll make it" Rossi said knowing where his thoughts were headed "Garcia is a fighter."

Hotch nodded just as Prentiss and Reid showed up.

"Any news?" Reid asked.

"No" Hotch responded "She's still in surgery."

The four of them worriedly sat in the waiting room waiting for news.

Finally the silence was too much for Prentiss "Where are J.J. and Morgan?" she asked. She had been wondering about that since she had got to the hospital, she was sure Morgan would have been the first one here since he and Garcia were best friends.

"J.J. is on her way but I haven't been able to get a hold of Morgan" Hotch explained.

"I know the last case for him was stressing" Rossi said.

"I'll give him a call" Reid said standing up "He'll want to be here."

Just as Reid left to find a safe place to use his cell phone J.J. ran in.

"Is Pen okay?" J.J. asked breathlessly "Has there been any updates?"

Hotch updated her on what was happening.

Reid came back into the waiting room after about ten minutes; he shook his head "Morgan's cell just keeps going to voice mail."

"Where the hell is he?" Prentiss asked in confusion.

No one had an answer for her.

**...**

It had been three hours since Garcia had gone into surgery. The mood in the waiting room was a tense one; the BAU team were not used to just sitting and waiting around.

They all looked up as Morgan ran into the waiting room, he was out of breath and he looked frantic.

"I was at the church" he said quietly "My phone was turned off...I didn't know..."

"There was nothing you could have done here" Reid said reassuringly.

"The police got any leads?" Morgan said containing the anger in his voice.

"I spoke to the lead detective, he doesn't think we will get anything from the scene" Hotch explained.

"Penelope Garcia?" a surgeon asked coming out of the operating room closest to them.

"Yes" they all said at the same time.

"The bullet entered into her chest cavity and ricocheted into her abdomen. She lost a lot of blood, it was touch and go for a while but we were able to repair the injuries" the surgeon explained.

"So what are you saying?" J.J. asked.

"One centimetre over and it would have torn and gone through her heart, instead she could actually walk out of her in a couple of days" The surgeon finished with a smile. There was a collective sigh throughout the room. "It's a miracle really." he continued "She needs her rest but you can see her in the morning."

"Thank you" J.J. said as the surgeon walked away.

The team took a minute to collect and store that information before Hotch spoke up "David and I will go to the scene. I think the rest of you should be here when she wakes up. I don't care about protocol, I don't care if we aren't officially working the case or not, we do not touch any knew cases until we find out who did this."

They all nodded in agreement.

**... **

Meanwhile Garcia had been moved to a private room. The drugs that they had put her under with were starting to wear off. Her mind kept going back to the moment she had been shot and replying it over and over again in her head.

"_Hey Garcia." _

_She smiled to herself and stopped. _

"_I've wanted to do this all night." _

_Her heart sped up a beat, she turned around thinking he was going to kiss her and bang. She felt the pain through her chest. She fell to the ground and blacked out. _

Garcia opened her eyes with a gasp.

She was lying in a hospital bed not on the steps of her apartment.

She looked up and saw through the glass doors of her room that everyone on the team except for Hotch and Rossi, were sitting out in the waiting room. They were talking, of course she couldn't hear what they were talking about but when she looked around at their faces she could see they all looked worried.

Her glaze fell on Morgan, he looked angry. Garcia turned away before he could catch her looking.

Memories from a few days before went through her head.

"_Morning Princess" Morgan said as Garcia walked through the door on her way to her office. _

"_Morning" she replied not really thinking. _

"_Pump...your brakes" Morgan said and Garcia stopped where she was. _

_She turned around and looked at him, wondering what he wanted, her mind too busy to really think about it. _

_He looked at her and beckoned her forward. _

"_Every day I say good morning, every day you say 'I'll show you a good morning hot stuff' every day, not today?" Morgan questioned doing a pretty good imitation of her. _

"_I hate profilers, do you know that?" she asked not looking him in the eye. _

"_Spit it out" he said not changing the subject. _

_She sighed, what was she supposed to say. _

_Morgan gave her a look saying he was going to drop it until she told him. _

"_Fine...I met a guy." she said hoping to god she wouldn't blush. _

"_You did what?" he asked "Where?" _

"_At a coffee shop. He was smoking hot and I fixed his computer then he asked me for my number" She explained._

"_And you just gave it to him?" he asked. _

"_Yeah a complete stranger I know. Did I mention he was smoking hot?" she asked. _

"_Uh yeah you did" he said. _

_Garcia's heart was still in a flutter, her brain was cluttered with so many thoughts of how it was so unbelievable. _

_Morgan shrugged "Well it happens" he said beginning to move away. _

"_No it doesn't" she said and Morgan turned back to her "Not to me at least. I'm not the type of girl men see from across the bar and write songs about." _

"_Sweetheart..." he began but she cut him off. _

"_No, it's fine" She said. _

"_Then what's the problem?" he asked. _

_She shrugged "I dunno, it just seems so unreal. What do you think?" _

"_I think you should always go with your gut" he said "If it doesn't feel right to you then say no. So if he seems a little too smooth or a little too smoking hot then you should just walk away." _

_J.J. walked through the doors the next moment "Morgan I need you in the conference room" she said, ending their conversation. _

_**...**_

_Garcia was sitting at her desk talking to Morgan, who she had just called to tell him she had found ten victims that matched the profile and sent him the information about them. _

_Once she had told him all she knew she said goodbye and went to hang up the phone. _

"_Hey Whoa Babygirl" Morgan said "What no snappy retort? What's going on?" _

"_Not in the mood" she said simply. _

"_Penelope" he said seriously "what's wrong?" _

_Garcia took a deep breath "That guy I told you about just gave me a call and asked me out on a date but I took your advice and said no." _

"_Well good for you" he said "Something was definitely wrong with that guy." _

_Garcia felt stung; she didn't say anything for a moment. She felt betrayal, how could Morgan say that to her? She thought he was her friend. _

"_Wow" Garcia stated, trying to keep her anger in check "You are some profiler huh? You could see how bad he was for me with only the small amount of information I gave you." _

"_Garcia I didn't mean..." Morgan began. _

"_I wonder" she said cutting him off "Was it that he was too handsome or too interested in me that tipped you off on how wrong he was...hmm?" _

"_Garcia I..." he tried again. _

"_Just because you wouldn't cross a crowded room to hit on me doesn't mean that a more perceptive, less superficial guy wouldn't. Hey Derek you want snappy. You Suck." Garcia almost yelled slamming the receiver down with all her might. _

_She took a moment to calm herself then she reached for the phone number she had previously thrown out and dialled the number. She didn't give a fuck what Morgan said, she was going to show that the guy she met was right for her. _

Garcia stopped herself before her mind could go to just how she showed Morgan that guy was right for her.

Yeah she had definitely showed Morgan, she had showed him he was totally right by going and getting herself shot.

She still felt angry with Morgan, more because she was defensive about the whole situation. She hated the fact that he had been proven right. Most of all she hated that because he was right what he said was true. No good looking guy would go out of their way to talk to her unless there was something wrong with them. He hadn't said those exact words but he had implied them.

The door opened and a nurse walked in "Oh" she said "You're awake. How are you feeling?"

"My chest hurts a bit." Garcia said.

The nurse nodded "I'll get you something for the pain. I'll go send your friends in, I know they are eager to see you."

"Wait" Garcia said before the nurse could leave, she didn't want to face Morgan right now "Please tell them I only want to see J.J...Jenifer right now."

"Are you sure dear?" the nurse asked.

"Yes" Garcia said looking out at Morgan again; she definitely couldn't see him yet.

**... **

"Your friend is awake" the nurse told the BAU team and they all stood up. "But" the nurse continued stopping them in their tracks "she said she would only like to see...J.J. at the moment."

Morgan frowned and went to walk past the women.

"Please Sir" the nurse said "your friend doesn't need any stress right now; she is in a fragile state. Please respect her wishes."

"She's right Morgan" Prentiss said "I'm sure she'll call all of us when she's ready to talk to us."

Prentiss and Reid didn't seem to be taking it personally but it felt personal to him. The last time he had spoke to Garcia they had fought. He wanted to apologize and be there for her but it looked like she didn't want to see him.

Was she still mad at him? He wondered.


	2. The Profile

**Don't Own **

**Please R&R **

**Enjoy!**

As J.J. walked back towards the others, who were still sitting in the waiting area, Morgan saw her and stood up.

"What did she say?" he asked in a rush "Did she get a good look at him?"

J.J. pinched the bridge of her nose "She wasn't mugged Morgan" she stated with a sigh.

"What?" Prentiss asked confused.

"Apparently she knew him" J.J. explained "She told me she met him in a coffee shop and they were on a date."

Morgan's eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. He went to walk over to Garcia's room when J.J. placed a hand on his forearm to stop him. "She wants to be alone for now Morgan" J.J. explained at the calculated look he gave her.

Morgan huffed, spun around and walked away, slamming his first against the wall as he went.

"What's his problem?" Prentiss asked.

"We're all just a little on edge right now. I guess this is just how Morgan deals with his frustration" J.J. said.

"I'll go talk to him" Reid announced standing up.

"Good idea" J.J. said

**...**

Reid didn't have to go too far to find Morgan; he had somehow managed to get one of the nurses to give him Garcia's file. He was now standing at the nurses' station reading through it with his glaze narrowed the whole time.

"Hey" Reid said taking the calm approach.

Morgan looked up but didn't say anything; Reid could still see the fire in his eyes.

"We just have to stay calm..." Reid began but Morgan wouldn't let him finish.

"Don't tell me what to be" he said sharply.

Reid took in his behaviour; Morgan was acting angrier than he should be. Reid knew that Morgan and Garcia were best friends but something was off, Morgan was taking it too hard, it didn't make sense.

"Morgan what's wrong?" Reid asked.

Morgan didn't answer, he just grunted something.

"Morgan" Reid said seriously "talk to me."

Morgan sighed, he passed Garcia's file back to one of the nurses with a thank you. The nurse smiled and giggled that it was no problem.

Morgan walked back towards the waiting room, Reid followed him closely. Morgan stopped and leaned against the wall. "She told me about the guy." Morgan almost growled "She told me she had met him at a coffee shop and that he had asked for her number but as she told me something seemed off about her. She said that guys that looked like him didn't normally come up to girls that looked like her. She said she couldn't believe it and me just having to use my profiler skills told her that maybe she was right and that he wasn't a good match for her. She misunderstood me, she thought I was saying that she wasn't good enough for a guy like that and I'm guessing she went out with him to spite me. Now look what happened."

Reid didn't know what to tell him, either way this probably would have happened. If she had met the guy and Morgan told her to go for it she would have gotten shot, Morgan had told her not to go for it and she still had gotten shot. "There was no way of knowing for sure Morgan" Reid said "now all we can do is be there for her."

"But she doesn't want me there" Morgan said the anger rising in his voice again.

"What do you mean?" Reid asked.

"She only wanted to talk to J.J. this morning and afterwards J.J. said she wanted to be alone, she didn't want to see me" Morgan stated.

"Or me" Reid said.

"What?" Morgan asked.

"You said she didn't want to see you" Reid stated "But you don't know that, she didn't want to see myself or Prentiss either. Maybe she's just self conscious right now or maybe she is just tired. She was, after all, only shot a few hours ago. You don't know if she is still mad at you, how do you know she hasn't forgiven you already?"

"I doubt it" Morgan said looking towards Garcia's room "I know she was still mad at me last night."

Reid looked at him questioningly.

"When we got back from the case last night I called Garcia to see if she wanted to go out. She was still angry, I could tell and she blew me off." Morgan said.

Reid patted his shoulder "Like I said, there was no way you could have known."

Reid's cell began to vibrate so he reached into his pocket to get it. "Reid" he said flipping the phone open.

"Reid" Hotch said "Is Garcia awake?"

"Yeah she is" Reid answered.

"Good, David and I are on our way back. We don't think it was a robbery..."

"No it wasn't" Reid cut in "She knew the attacker; apparently they were on a date."

"Damn..." Hotch sighed "Okay, we need to start on a profile. Go and talk to her now so we have a starting base for when David and I get there."

"Okay" Reid said.

"I'm going to call BAU headquarters and have them send over a sketch artist" Hotch said right before he hung up.

Reid put his cell back in his pocket "Hotch and Rossi are on their way back, they want us to start are profile."

Morgan nodded already moving towards Garcia's room.

Reid looked around for J.J. and Prentiss but didn't see them so he followed Morgan instead.

As Reid entered the room he saw that Garcia had her eyes closed. "Hey Garcia" he began "Hotch and Rossi want us to start a profile, if that's okay with you."

Garcia opened her eyes slowly and looked at Reid, she seemed to already know Morgan was there but wouldn't look at him "...I guess" she said.

Reid smiled and walked to the left side of her bed, the side Morgan wasn't occupying.

"Baby Girl" Morgan began gently placing his hand over hers, Reid watched sadly as Garcia drew away from his touch. Reid guessed she was still mad at Morgan. Morgan looked stung but he didn't say anything he just removed his hand slowly. "How are you feeling?" he asked after a while.

Still not looking at him, Garcia unconsciously touched her abdomen and winced "the morphine is wearing off so I'm in pain but I guess it's better for now since I should be clear minded to give you the profile."

Reid gave her a sad smile "So do you want to begin then?"

Garcia nodded "It's still a little hazy though."

"That's okay" Morgan said trying to be comforting but Garcia couldn't help wishing that he would just go away for now. "Anything you can tell us will be helpful."

During the whole interview she kept her glaze on either he hands or on Reid, she didn't once look over at Morgan; though she did answer his questions.

"Did this guy say what he did for a living?" Morgan asked.

"Yes. He said he was a lawyer" Garcia answered.

"Did people seem to know him where you went?" Reid asked.

"He said he wanted to show me some place. It was half an hour away" she answered feeling slightly exposed and stupid.

"You drove together?" Morgan asked "What did the car look like?"

She racked her memory "White. Four door sedan. It smelled new."

"Hmm" Reid began his brain gearing into action "A rental car maybe?"

"I don't know...it could have been. I don't look at things the way profilers do, I don't see danger..." she said her voice trailing off and Morgan thought he heard a hint of anger in her voice. He was beginning to understand the reason she was still mad at him and he hoped he could make it up to her.

"Did he seem nervous?" Reid asked.

Garcia didn't want to answer that, she shook her head "I don't know...he was" the memory hit her of when she turned around and him drawing the gun on her. A tear rolled down her cheek.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Morgan asked, hesitantly brushing the tear away and for once she didn't move away from his touch.

"Yes. I'm fine" she answered slightly brokenly "I could hear him walking. He leaned over me and I held my breath so he'd think I was dead."

**... **

Reid and Morgan left Garcia for a few hours so that she could rest.

As they walked out of her room Reid said quietly "I guess she is still mad at you."

Morgan glared at him.

"Well she's been through a lot, I'm sure once she's feeling better she'll be back to her old self and not hating you in no time." Reid tried.

Morgan slumped his shoulders "I hope."

"Trust me" Reid said "A friendship like the one you guys have can't be broken over one simple fight. She just needs a little time."


	3. Talk

**Don't Own **

**Please R&R **

**I really hope you all like this chapter, I had a lot of trouble with it. Really bad CM writer's block, thankfully I finally got past it. **

**Enjoy. **

Reid and Morgan were sitting in the waiting room while the sketch artist was in with Garcia. Morgan had wanted to stay with her while she gave the man her description of James Colby Baylor but Garcia said she felt more comfortable without him there, she had said something about not being under as much pressure. However Morgan knew that she just didn't want to be around him at the moment.

"Hey" J.J. said as she and Prentiss made their way to Morgan and Reid's side. They had run out to get coffee and muffins for lunch. Prentiss passed the coffees to Morgan and Reid and took a seat next to them.

"Who's that?" Prentiss asked pointing towards Penelope's room.

"Sketch artist" Reid replied.

"We're just waiting for Hotch and Rossi, they should be here soon. We already started on the profile." Morgan explained.

"What did you get from that?" Prentiss asked.

"Not much" Morgan said with a sigh "He took her out to a place where no one knew him, it seems like he might have had a rental car and he really hurt Garcia, not just physically but mentally."

Prentiss shook her head; they would need a lot more to catch this guy.

"I think we can do a replay with her in a few days" Reid began "I don't think she's mentally or physically strong enough for it yet."

Morgan nodded his head "We definitely don't want to stress her out right now."

"So what do we do now?" Prentiss asked.

"We wait until the sketch artist is done" Morgan replied "By that time Hotch and Rossi should be here, I'm sure they will have orders for what to do next."

Almost as on cue Rossi and Hotch stepped out of the elevator the next minute.

Morgan and Reid filled them in on what Penelope had told them.

"I think it's a good idea not to push Garcia too far right now, she's probably already stressed as it is" Hotch said.

Hotch looked the team over, thinking about the next path to take. "Morgan and Reid I want you two to go to the restaurant Garcia said he took her to and bring the sketch from the sketch artist, to see if anyone knows the unsub."

Morgan was about to protest but Hotch cut him off "That's an order Morgan, I want J.J. and Prentiss to stay with Garcia for now. There should be one of us with her at all times until we find this guy. I'm going to need you and Reid to be here for the night shift, so you should get out of this hospital for a while."

Morgan was annoyed but he didn't argue, he knew Hotch was right it was just hard to leave Penelope at the moment. However since she wouldn't talk to him anyway he guessed there was no reason for him to be there.

"Rossi and I are going to head back to headquarters" Hotch continued "We need to find a technical analyst that can look up the facts until Garcia is feeling well enough to come back to work. Hopefully we will have caught the unsub before then."

**...**

Prentiss and J.J. sat in Penelope's room with her after the sketch artist left.

Penelope was thankful that they weren't pushing her to talk about what had happened, she had gotten enough of that for one day. Instead they were discussing shopping, men and movies, pretty much anything that didn't involve the case.

"How's your relationship with Will going?" Prentiss asked J.J.

"It's good" J.J. answered "A little stressful though since we only get to see each other every other weekend. Having a long distance relationship isn't easy."

Prentiss snorted "You can say that again."

J.J. quirked her eyebrow at Prentiss and even Penelope could say she was now interested.

"I dated this guy in high school during my senior year and then when we went off to University we promised each other we would keep our relationship even if it was long distance" Prentiss explained. "Then during like my first month of University I got a message from one of my old girlfriends who went to the same school as my boyfriend had. She asked me if I was still dating him because at their campus he had become like a player. That ended our relationship."

J.J. frowned she really liked Will and hoped it didn't end up that way for her. Prentiss seemed to know what she was thinking "Oh don't go there" she practically shrieked, causing one of the nurses nearby to scowl at her through the glass doors. Prentiss lowered her voice "You and Will are so made for each other."

Penelope nodded her agreement "Besides you and Will are far from being horny teenagers in University. Not to mention the fact that you can so tell he loves you" Penelope said her eyes moony "just in the way he looks at you. It's obvious he knows just as well as you do that you two were meant to be."

J.J. shook her head in amusement "You're such a romantic Pen" she said with a smile, looking like she wasn't upset anymore.

Penelope shrugged her shoulders "I can't help it if I like a good romance."

**...**

The three women talked for hours, Penelope couldn't remember the last time she had had as much fun with her two friends. Too bad it took getting shot to be able to spend some quality time together.

It was around four o'clock pm when Morgan opened the door to Penelope's hospital room. Penelope who hadn't noticed him coming tensed at the sight of him.

"How you guys doing?" Morgan asked softy, trying but failing to catch Penelope's glaze.

"We're good" J.J. said "I haven't had such a fun afternoon in a long time."

Prentiss nodded her agreement "Did you get any answers at the restaurant or coffee shop?"

"No" Morgan almost growled "No one could recall seeing him."

Garcia felt her chest tense up at that news.

"Where's Reid?" J.J. asked just noticing the absence of their genius friend.

"He went home to get a couple hours of sleep before we had to be back here at nine" Morgan explained.

"So what are you doing here?" Prentiss asked "You should be home getting some sleep too."

"I just wanted to bring by the update" Morgan explained.

"Wasn't much of an update..." Penelope mumbled under her breath and J.J. shot her a dirty look "I mean you could have just called, you didn't have to come all the way down here."

"Well I didn't think about it. I also thought one of you girls might be tired, I could start my shift early if you needed?"

Penelope shot a glare at Morgan, she was having fun with Emily and J.J. she didn't want him to come in and ruin it.

"We're fine Derek" J.J. said with a smile "Go home and get some rest, we'll see you at nine."

"Okay" Morgan said, he looked like he wanted to stay, like he wanted to say something else but instead he turned with a sigh and left.

Once he was gone J.J. glared at Penelope "What the hell was that Pen?" she asked.

"What?" Penelope asked pretending she had no idea what her friend was talking about.

"Don't play dumb Penelope" J.J. said sternly "That was rather rude, Morgan was just trying to be nice."

Penelope rolled her eyes.

"J.J.'s right" Prentiss said jumping in "You and Morgan are best friends but you've been acting like you can barely stand to be near him lately. What happened?"

Penelope sighed "It's nothing."

"Penelope" J.J. said a warning in her voice "It is definitely not nothing."

Penelope didn't know what she should tell them. She thought about it for a minute and then decided she would go for the truth, it after all had really been bothering her not having anyone else to talk to about it. She knew J.J. and Emily would have a new incite on everything and she could use their opinions on the matter. So she told them about the fight she had with Morgan and how she felt betrayed by him because of what he had implied.

Once she had finished her story J.J. and Emily were very supportive. She hadn't even noticed that she had started crying until Emily handed her a tissue, she guessed she was more upset about the issue then she realised.

"Pen" J.J. began "Believe me when I say this, I know what Morgan said sounded bad but I truly don't think he meant it the way you think he did."

Penelope sniffled "How did he mean it then?" she asked defensively "I might not be a profiler but I'm not an idiot, I heard what he said."

"But I don't think you took into account the way you were acting when you told him." J.J. began.

When Penelope gave her a confused look J.J. continued "It seems like you were surprised and even though you might not have noticed it I bet you seemed a little wary about the whole situation. Morgan saw that little piece of doubt you weren't able to cover up and tried to do best by you. I know Morgan wouldn't have said something like that and have it mean what you think it did. Morgan cares deeply for you, he wouldn't have wanted to hurt you; he would have wanted to protect you."

Prentiss smiled and touched Penelope's hand "J.J is right Penelope, when I first started at the BAU one of the first things I noticed was how much you and Derek Morgan cared for each other. You're best friends and I know he would never want to hurt you. You must know that?"

Penelope felt tears of stupidity run down her face "I do" she said with a small hiccup "I guess I just wanted someone to blame. I should have listened to Derek, I feel so stupid. I thought that I could take a chance and maybe just once I would meet my prince charming but Derek was right, I shouldn't have trusted it. I feel like a fool."

"Oh Pen" J.J. said "Don't be like that. There was no way you could have really known what this James' guy's intentions were. Please don't be upset. Now that everything is done with it's not worth it. You just have to let go."

"I know" Penelope said once she had her tears under control "And I have to apologize to Derek."

J.J. and Prentiss smiled at her and Penelope was happy that she had told them.

She planned to wait up until nine for Morgan to come but she just couldn't seem to keep her eyes open because she was so tried.

'I'll just close my eyes for a moment' Penelope thought 'then I'll be re-energized for when Derek get's here.'

As soon as she closed her eyes, she was out like a light.


	4. Apology

**Don't Own **

**Please R&R **

**Enjoy!**

Derek sat beside Penelope's bed at the hospital, he had gotten there three hours ago and she had been fast asleep. Before J.J. had left for the night she had patted him on the back with a smile over at Penelope, she had whispered something to him about not worrying because Penelope was in a better mood. Derek didn't know what she had meant exactly but had just nodded and gone with it.

Reid was sitting across from him, on the other side of Penelope's bed; they were sitting in a comfortable silence.

Derek looked over at Penelope; she looked so peaceful when she slept. He hoped they were back on good terms soon because it was literally hurting his heart knowing that she was mad at him.

Reid stretched and groaned "I'm going to go to the washroom" he said.

Derek looked over at Reid and nodded "Take your time; there's not much of a chance of anything happening while you're gone."

Reid looked relieved; Derek knew that he wanted to take some time to stretch his legs.

Reid had been gone for only a few minutes when the machine that was monitoring Penelope's heart starting beeping faster. Derek looked over at it; Penelope's heart rate was speeding up. Derek then looked over at her and realised that her face was scrunched in pain and she was clutching her bed sheets in her fists. She flung her head to the side like she was trying to get away from some unseen foe.

Derek grabbed her hand "Baby Girl!" he said urgently but gently trying to wake her up.

She let out a strangled cry and tears began rolling down her face.

"Help!" he called out pressing the button that signalled for the nurses.

"Penelope its okay" he said soothingly, the machine was beeping horribly fast now and Derek had to crush down his own fear as the nurses rushed in.

They started moving around her, checking the heart monitor, they tried to get Derek to wait outside but he didn't want to leave her side. Just as they were taking out a needle to give her a sedative she woke up with a shout. She looked frazzled for a moment but after she noticed Derek standing there her arms flew around him and she buried her head in his chest. Derek just held her and within seconds her heart rate had come down to a normal pace.

The nurses looked him over for a minute "I think you've got everything under control" one of them said "Just give us a shout if you need anything."

Derek nodded still holding onto Penelope, he wasn't willing to let her go just yet.

When her sobs subsided he pulled away slightly and looked down at her reddened face "Baby Girl what's wrong?"

"...Nightmare" she choked out.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked.

"I...it was the moment before I got shot" she said tears rolling down her cheeks again, "but it was like I was watching it as a movie not actually living it. I kept yelling at myself to watch out but I couldn't stop it."

Derek rubbed her back softly "It's okay...you're fine now."

"I was so scared" Penelope said softly "After I got shot I kept thinking that no one was coming...I was so alone. I thought I was going to die and..."

Derek waited for her to continue but she didn't "And you what?" he asked gently.

Penelope looked up at him sadly "I'm so sorry Derek...I'm sorry I yelled at you and I didn't believe you. I should have listened to you. I kept thinking that I didn't want to die when my last words to you were mean and spiteful."

"Oh Penelope" he said looking her in the eye "I know you were angry, I shouldn't have said what I did though I didn't mean it the way you thought I did. I just wanted to protect you...I was worried and I'm not angry now. I'm so sorry you had to go through that alone."

"It's my fault" Penelope said sadly "I just wanted to believe a guy like that would like me...who was I kidding."

Derek felt his heart clench at her words "You were wrong you know?"

Penelope looked up at him questioningly.

"You said that I wouldn't walk across a crowded room to hit on you, you were wrong. I would walk across the state of Washington to hit on you...I'd just be afraid of rejection." Derek confessed.

Penelope was in shock, it was such an intense moment, lying there staring up at Derek's seemingly honest face. She thought he must be lying to make her feel better. She went to shrug it off and turn away but he caught her chin in his fingers.

"I mean it Penelope" he said looking at her "I like you...you must know that. You're beautiful and sexy and smart...and I want to be with you."

"Derek I..." Penelope began, searching his face "I don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything" he whispered leaning down and pressing his lips against hers. He was afraid she wouldn't respond but then she softly moved her lips against his. Their first kiss was gentle and soft and wonderful. Derek took it slow, he didn't want to push Penelope too far since she was still healing. He brought his hand up and caressed her cheek, moving his hand to slowly run it through her hair.

When they finally pulled apart they were out of breath, Penelope looked up at him and blushed.

"Baby Girl you don't know how long I've wanted to do that!" Derek exclaimed.

Penelope smiled slowly, and then pulled him back down into another kiss.

**... **

Reid rolled his eyes as he stood outside of Penelope's room and Derek's words echoed in his head 'Take your time; there's not much of a chance of anything happening while you're gone.' Yeah right that sure looked like a hell of a lot of something.

Reid shook his head but smiled as he watched Penelope and Derek's embrace. 'Finally' he thought walking away to give them some privacy.

Reid wondered how the rest of the team was going to take it. It would probably be the same as it always was...well except without the sexual tension.


	5. Love You

**Don't Own **

**Please R&R **

**Enjoy!**

Penelope was glad to be home. In the last couple of days at the hospital she had really started to become agitated. Especially after Hotch had told her she was suspended for encrypting a file. She had been going stir crazy knowing that she had gotten herself into big trouble but there was nothing she could do about it.

The only thing that kept her from going completely insane was Derek, who never left her side.

Their relationship was much the same as it always had been, though they more physical around each other, if that was even possible.

When the rest of the team had found out about their relationship they had all been totally accepting. The only thing Hotch had warned them about was to keep the 'physical aspects' of their relationship to a minimum while they were at work. Then he had patted Derek's shoulder and left the hospital room.

Now Derek was helping her out of his SUV after they had pulled up to Penelope's apartment.

They met the cop that was positioned outside her apartment and then made their way to the door. Penelope got to the steps and then blanched when she saw the stained blood there. Images swirled through her head and she stopped walking.

Derek stopped too. He looked at her fearful expression and his heart ached. He leaned close to her "Come on. It washes off, I promise."

Penelope shook herself from her trance at his words and followed him up the steps. Yes the blood would wash off she told herself, she just wished the memory would be as easy to forget.

She opened the door and led him into her home. She sighed after she had locked the door behind her. God it felt good to be home. She hadn't been sure that she would feel comfortable once she got here but felt relieved when she was finally inside. Having Derek there helped too, she felt safe with him by her.

Derek was looking around her place taking in everything from the fun little knick knacks on her shelves to the colourful colour scheme. Derek chuckled and smiled at Penelope "I would expect nothing less."

Penelope returned his smile "You should be flattered, not many people are invited in off the grid."

Derek smirked at that then his eyes caught on the old film projector sitting on her coffee table "Super eight?" he asked, remembering the name from his media studies class in College.

"Yeah" Penelope said going over to it and turning it on. A video of her with her father when she was around eleven began playing. "I always imagined myself fighting crime" she told him "my parents were hippies, I think it horrified them."

Derek gave Penelope a sad smile "How old were you when you lost them?"

"Eighteen" Penelope answered "Drunk driver."

Derek felt for her, he knew what it was like to lose a parent; at least he still had his mom.

He continued with his exploration of her apartment. Making his way over to her a shelf on the far side of the room he saw some papers scattered there. He looked them over, they were schedules. He read the heading 'Volunteering for Families of Victims.'

"I volunteer once a week" Penelope explained "Consoling family members of murder victims."

"Baby you don't get enough of this at work?" he asked surprised.

"I look at those crime scene photos all day long, I can't know those families are out there and do nothing to help." Penelope told him.

That warmed Derek, he always knew his baby girl was a compassionate person, always putting others before herself but he never knew how far she went to try and make the world a better place. With all the shit he saw at work he knew he wouldn't be able to counsel any victims. For heaven's sake he still got horrible nightmares of his own.

The thought of Penelope putting others before herself reminded him of the fact that the only reason she had encrypted that file was to protect the team. Sometimes she could be too caring, even to a fault.

"You know it was stupid to encrypt that file right?" Derek said walking over to her.

"Yes I know" she said quickly nodding her head "Old habits…I guess."

Derek took in her sincere expression and leaned down to gently kiss her lips. "You need some rest" he said as he pulled back and motioned towards her bedroom.

"You're right" she said leaning into him to give him a hug "Go, be free, my love" she stated running her fingers over the back of his smooth head.

As she pulled away he looked at her his brows furrowing "Hey…I'm not going anywhere."

"Wha…I'll be fine, I've got my goon squad parked outside…" she began but he cut her off.

"Goon squad or no goon squad that couch is gonna be my best friend until we catch this guy…now leave it alone" Derek said with a playful flare.

"Don't be silly" Penelope said and Derek's look darkened. He was not going to leave her here on her own no matter what she said. He didn't care if he had to lie down and refuse to move, his baby girl's attacker was still out there and he would never let that bastard hurt her again. However Derek relaxed at her next words. "That couch is so uncomfortable to sleep on, come on" she said leading him towards her bedroom.

He stopped her for a minute before he was over the threshold "Are you sure about this baby girl?" he asked seriously "I don't mind sleeping on a lumpy couch if you're not one hundred percent comfortable with this."

"I'm positive" she said leaning up to give him a reassuring peck on the lips "I feel protected when you're near me and the couch is just too far."

He sighed with content; there was no place he would rather be then cuddled up with his Baby Girl.

Once Penelope had brushed her teeth and was ready for bed she crawled in beside Derek. She lay on her side facing him. He was looking at her with such love in his eyes it warmed her heart. He gently raised his hand and caressed her cheek. He leaned over and kissed her, this kiss was passionate unlike the others they had shared so far and it took her breath away. He only pulled away when it became necessary to breath.

"Baby Girl…" he began.

"Yes?" Penelope asked when he didn't continue.

"I love you, you know that right? " he said.

Penelope couldn't believe her ears.

He looked nervous after he had said it like he was afraid she was going to reject him. 'Yeah right' she thought to herself. "I love you too Derek."

At that his smile was so bright it could have lit up the room. He captured her lips again in a gentle kiss, when he pulled away he said "Get some sleep."

Penelope was so tired she was almost immediately asleep, however before she let herself drift off she reached out her hand and took his in her own. Her hand fit in his so perfectly. His thumb caressed the back of her hand and she fell asleep with a smile on her face.


End file.
